Hoeing-machine.



"PATENTED OCT. 30, 1 906.

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' HOEING MACHINE.- APPLICATION FILED mama. 190s.

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W. R. STURGISS. HOEING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 1113.2, 1906.

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PATENTED OCT. 30, 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. 'WILBUR R. sruaeiss, F CONWAY, ARKANSAS.

I HOEING'MACHINE- Specification of Letters Patent. A

Patented Oct. 30, 1906,

cultural machines, and relates more espe cially to the class of hoeingmachines or cultivators.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a hoeing-machine whichis drawn by horses and adapted especially for the purpose of thinningand hoeing or cultivating cotton, sorghum, beans, and other plants whichare sown in the drill, whereby the required cultivation of such plantsmay be greatly facilitated.

through suitable gearing and adapted to thin out the plants andcultivate around those ed in accordance with my invention.

' the shovels.

the supporting-bracket for the hoe-carrying left standing, and includinga pair of shovelswhich follow after the hoes and push a quantity ofearth or dirt up around the growing plants to form the usual hills.

The construction, operation, and practical advantages of the machine arehereinafter specified, and what I claim as new in this particular artisfully set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hoeing-machine construct- Fig. 2 is aplan View of the machine. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view throughthe hoe-carrying gear-wheel and supporting-bracket for the same. Fig. 4is a detail View of one of Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of gear-wheel.Fig. 6 is a plan view illustrating a modification of the invention.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

In carrying out-my invention the frame A of the machine is preferablymade up entirely of metal comprising flat bars, which give the requiredlightness with rigidity and durability, the side pieces or bars a abeing connected at their forward ends by an integral loop portion a andat their rear ends by a cross piece or bar a intermediate crossieceslor'bars a a bein rovided for th P b p a purpose of bracing theframe and also to form supports for the driving-shaft hereinafterreferred to. The side bars and crosspieces constituting the frame arefirmly connected together by angle-plates after the usual manner ofconstructing a skeleton frame of this character.

At the forward end of the frame A are the ground-wheels B B, which aremounted on a transverse axle b, the ends of which latter pass throughthe side pieces of the frame to receive the securing-nuts b. Theperiphery of the ground-wheels are preferably beveled inward, as shown,so as to give better traction, and one of said wheels is adapted tooperate the hoes, for which purpose said wheel has attached to the innerside thereof a large gear-ring c, said gear-ring being preferabl secureddirectly to the spokes of the wheel? C designates a large gear-wheel,which is preferably horizontally disposed in the rear portion of theframe A, being supported upon a bracket D, the teeth of said gear-wheelbeing in mesh with the pinion a on the rear end of a shaft 0 whichlatter extends longitudinally of the machine and at its forward endcarries a pinion c meshing with the gear-ring c on the ground-wheel. Thesupportingbracket D is rovided with outwardly-projeoting arms 5, bywhich it is bolted to the side pieces of the frame of the machine, and

centrally said bracket is formed with an opening and surrounding annularboss (1", upon which latter the aforesaid gear-wheel C bears. Thegear-wheel is formed with a hub e, which depends through thesupportingbracket below the under side thereof and forms the means bywhich the hoes are secured to the gear-wheel, for which pur ose theprojecting portion of said hub is p0 ygonal in cross-section, presentingseveral fiat surfaces, against any one of which the flat standard f,carrying the hoe-blades f, is bolted. As will be readily seen, the hoesare adjustable u on the hub e of the rotatable gear-wheel and the bladesare preferably adjustable upon the outwardly-projecting end f 2 of thestandards, so that said blades may be adjusted to and from theaxis ofthe circular path in which they move. These blades are preferablyrectangular in shape, so as to present a straight rear edge which willcut or scrape close up to the growing plants and will not ush them outof the ground, said blades a 1 operating in a circle.

so as to cultivate on all four sides of the hill or stand of growingplants.

On the rear cross-piece a of the frame of the machine are slidablymounted a pair of shovel-holders h, which are adjustable laterally uponthe frame and secured in place by means of set-screws h, said holdershaving sockets, as 7L2, for the standardsi of the shovels i, the latterbeing adapted to operate to throw or push dirt up around the plants leftstanding after the hoes have operated to cultivate around them. Theseshovels are provided with detachable fenders U, (see Fig. 5,) which whenapplied serve the purpose of moving farther away from the row all grass,weeds, and plants which have been destroyed by the hoes. Each fender isformed with a lateral flange by which it is bolted to the shovel, so asto extend at an angle thereto, and the lower edge of said fender isdisposed above the lower edge of the shovel, so that it will move overthe top of the ground as the shovel itself enters to throw up the irt.

The rear end of the frame of the machine is provided'with handles n forthe operator, who manipulates the machine and walks in the rear of thesame, and at the forward end of the frame there is secured an eye orloop a, to which the doubletree or other draft ap liance is attached. Itwill be noted that the operator guides the machine by means of thehandles 11, and that the hoes and shovels may be lifted from the groundby elevating the rear end of the machine, in which movement the aXle ofthe ground-wheels is the fulcrum.

In the operation of the machine the same is drawn by two horses, walkingat either side of the row or drill, and in thinning out a row of plantsthe revolving hoes, which are operated from one of the ground-wheels bythe gearing hereinbefore described, will cut away or remove plants froma portion of the row or drill and leave groups or stands which arespaced apart according to the adjustment of the machine. In thisoperation the hoes cut or work across the hills and revolving around thestanding plants act to hoe or cultivate the same, while the shovels,with the attached fenders following behind the hoes, serve to firstremove the cut plants and weeds and then to slide the dirt up around theplants left standing. The machine may also be used for afterwardcultivating the plants, in which instance the hoes may be adjusted tocut or chop through the hills in breaking up the ground, and the shovelsact to again form the hills. When desired, the speed of rotation of thegear-wheel C may be increased or diminished by changing the size of anyof the gear-wheels which form the gearing between the ground-wheels andthe said hoe-carrying gear-wheel.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in Fig. 6 of thedrawings I have shown the hoe-carrying gear-wheel m disposed verticallyin the machine, so that the hoe-blades m will revolve in a verticalplane instead of a horizontal plane, as in the construction shown inFigs. 1 and 2. In this instance the blades m will cut or scrape acrossthe row or drill and remove the plants in, thinning out a row, the rearpart of the machine being elevated at intervals to lift the hoes abovethe plants, and thereby leave a group or stand. In this modification thehoe-carrying gearwheel is mounted on a horizontal shaft m, supported inhangers 0 0, said gear-wheel being in mesh with a pinion on the rear endof a shaft 19, which latter 1S provided at its forward end with a pinionp in mesh with a gear-ring 19 secured to one of the groundwheels 8.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that I provide ahoeing-machine which is drawn by horses and can be easily operated togreatly reduce the time and labor required to thin out plants sown inthe drill and to cultivate such plants.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a hoeing-machine, the combination with a frame supported uponwheels at its forward end and provided with handles at its rear end, ofa gear-ring secured to one of the supporting wheels, a gear wheelrotatably mounted in the rear end of the frame, a shaft having pinionsat its ends in mesh with the gear-ring and gear-wheel respectively, andhoes carried by said gear-wheel.

2. In a hoeing-machine, the combination with a frame supported uponwheels at its forward end and provided with handles at its rear end, ofa gear-ring secured to one of the ground-wheels, a gear-wheel mountedhorizontally in the rear end of the frame upon a bracket, the hub ofsaid gear-wheel projecting below the bracket, said projecting end beingpolygonal in cross-section, forming a number of fiat sides, the latterprovided with screw-holes, and hoes having standards by which they aresecured to said fiat sides of the hub substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a hoeing-machine, the combination with a frame supported uponwheels at its forward end and having handles at its rear end, ahorizontally-disposed bracket secured in the rear end of the frame andhaving a central opening with a surrounding annular bearing surface, agear wheel rotatably mounted on the bracket to bear upon said annularsurface and having a hub projecting through the central opening in saidbracket, hoes having standards by which they are secured to the lowerend of the hub, and gearing between the aforesaid gear-wheel and one ofthe ground-wheels of the machine, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

4. In a hoeing-niachine, the combination with a frame comprising fiatside bars and cross-bars connected thereto, of groundwheels mounted inthe forward end of the frame between the side bars thereof, ahorizontally-disposed bracket secured within the rear end of the frameand having a central opening with a surrounding annular boss forming abearing-surface, a gear-wheel loosely mounted on thebracket and having ahub projecting downwardly through the opening therein, the lower end ofsaid hub being provided with a number of fiat sides

